by Suzanne Brockmann

Go out and buy this book. Trust me. If you have followed the writer’s Troubleshooters, loved the prior books’ levels of tension, the multiple romantic story lines, and fell in love again and again with real (REAL) men with issues, these books are the Shit!

We follow the story of recently resurfaced Vinh Murphy as he seduces his long-time friend/buddy/introducer of his wife/friend/crush…whatever, it’s complicated when people don’t follow up on their feelings, Hannah. He’s still recovering from the death of his wife, she’s still recovering from the loss of her best friend and her second best friend’s breakdown (read as Angelina, Vinh’s dead wife, and Vinh.) It’s complicated.

BUT!!! that really isn’t the best part of the book.

No? you say… No.

Period. The best parts are the on-again-off-again trials of Decker/Sophia/David, Will-he-finally-marry-her Nash and fiance’, Tess who really deserves much better than Nash delivers…and BEST romance of the book….

Wait for it.

Crazy/Zany Izzy Zanella meets his match. Or meets his nemesis. Take your pick. Danny Gilman’s little sister, barely 18 and so full of “it” she makes Izzy jump through flaming hoops.

I couldn’t get over the perfection and the heartbreak this little side romance delivered. Read the book simply for this love story alone.

Writing: 10; characters: 9.5; plot: 10; conclusion: 10+ Total score: 9.9

with Lora Leigh, Erin McCarthy, Nalini Singh, Linda Winstead Jones

While loosely based on a theme, this anthology really isn’t as cute as the title or cover relates. Of course, the tip off should have been Lora Leigh’s name on the cover.

HOT romance with cats.

Really. or Really?

Best story, Christmas Heat. Leigh delivers. Overall: 6.5

by Rowena Cherry

Wow. Science fiction with a touch of romance. Really. Let me say it again. Science Fiction…! Backstory needed, bizarre world building, and too much going on to really focus on the budding romance. Should not be put in with the romance novels. but I can’t really see some Microsoft clone wanna be Spock reading this one either.

Writing: 7.1 (kudos for world building, minus points for romantic suspense); characters: couldn’t relate. Nope. Couldn’t relate….6.1; plot: out there and contrived. huh. 5; conclusion: wow, Captain Cardboard has a brain. Who knew? 6.1

Total: 6.1

by Ellen Byerrum

This fun …wait…FUN romp through the life and times of an investigative DC FASHION reporter is a unexpected diamond. The work is enjoyable and easy. The tension cute and unpretentious. The leading lady not a diva, and not angsty. The perfect blend of reality and mayhem.

Writing: 8, characters: 9.5; plot: 8.1; conclusion: 8.5 Please read… a 8.5!

by Joy Nash

Huh. Dante Allegretti might roll in his grave at this modern interpretation of the circles of hell, then again it was very well thought out even if the leading characters had things just a bit too convenient. I’m not saying their journey was easy, just convenient. Hum… mixed reactions to this installment, but it was better than some of the others in this series.

Writing: can’t fault the writer too much because it was an enjoyable read. 7.4; characters: cardboard? 6.1; Plot: 8.4 the hell analogy was very good, but misguided. conclusion: convenient. contrived? 6.5 Total Score: 7.1

by Jacquelyn Frank

Demon king Noah finds his mate. And she’s got superpowers. Yawn. Even the sex scenes were boring. Ms. Frank should have left the leading lady dead, it would have been more interesting.

score: 6…barely

Nina Bangs, Sandra Hill, Dara Joy

A holiday romp well-timed for the season.

Fever: was hokey, but cute and fully fleshed out. Best of the book despite the fact it reminded me too much of bum-f Wisconsin. 7.8

Man with the Golden Bow: LOL hilarious and very sweet. 6.9

Santa Reads Romance: ? WTF? A writer’s fantasy, or nightmare. Falling in love with a publisher. Huh. Didn’t like it too much. 6.4

Mary Janice Davidson, Susan Grant, Gena Showalter, and PC Cast

Paranormal meets Desperate Housewives, with strange behavior as the norm.

Disdaining Trouble : good story, drew you into the atmosphere. Was the best one of the book even if it did stretch believability. 7.8

The nanny from Hell: not as good as the first story but sweet enough to give you satisfaction: sub-character arcs not developed. 7.1

A Tawdry Affair: too much going on. The story opens with so much backstory unwritten it is very hard to follow.5.2

It’s in his kiss: cute, but not noteworthy. Romeo and Juliet and contrivance. 6.4

by Shannon K. Butcher

Another installment of her thriller series, Shannon delivers a tightly woven and romantic, yet plausible story of intertwined pasts and a frightening present. Isabelle’s childhood is shadowing her present when her former foster siblings begin to commit suicide. But Isabelle knows that these are not suicides. She contacts her teenage crush and foster brother Grant Kent to help.

Grant is preparing for a life beyond the military as he leaves his career as a Delta Force Ranger for a private sector job. But first he must find out what has Isabelle so spooked.

Serial killers, violence, love…they are all intertwined in this excellent tale.

Writing: 8.3

by Lori Handeland

Elizabeth Phoenix used to be a police officer, but left because her “gift” of seeing things through touch caused the death of her partner. Now she is drawn into more intrigue as her foster mother is brutally murdered. And the main suspect is her ex-boyfriend and enigma, Jimmy Sanducci.

Drawn into an underworld of paranormal war, she must choose to follow her destiny and avenge her foster-mother’s death and pick up the mantle of leadership she left behind.

Grade: writing: 8.6